KOHLER: Fashion ship' taking on water

I’m a big girl. A fat chick. I knew before Abercrombie and Fitch’s CEO Mike Jeffries comments went public that he did not want me to shop there.

I didn’t have to be one of their target demographic of “cool and popular kids” to read the clothing tags. Abercrombie does not offer extra large for women or above a size 10 in jeans.

Jeffries’ seven-year-old comments resurfaced, causing a period of outrage, a plummet in sales and an apology. They blamed the 15 percent drop in same-store sales on inventory shortages. Maybe they couldn’t keep size 00 jeans in stock with fears it would be discounted to make room for — the horror — a size 12.

“Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong (in our clothes), and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely,” Jeffries said in a 2006 Salon interview.

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I’ve been plus size since high school where I heard the taunts about my weight. Jeffries isn’t the first to try to insult me or make me feel less than welcome. The obese are a resilient bunch. Trends turn to tapas and skinny jeans but we still survive. There are other options and we are aware that all of our “problems” could be solved if we just lost weight.

Abercrombie does not deserve all the hate. There are plenty of other retailers who make it clear by not offering extended sizes that they do not wish to cater to a certain type of person. Their CEOs practice discretion — relying on patrons to know if they belong in their clothes by simply looking at the sales associates or the numbers on the size tags.

Jeffries has caught ire for his blunt statements, but why only him?

I am not angry at Jeffries. I wouldn’t buy Abercrombie’s clothes if I did fit in them. They are not my style. I also couldn’t afford to buy his $25 t-shirts to give them to the homeless in a form of protest.

Abercrombie crop dusts mall hallways with their cologne. A ceiling-to-floor black and white picture of a man with a chiseled jaw and an eight pack is a fixture at the entrance. So is a slightly less airbrushed real life version in male or female form dressed head to toe in Abercrombie to greet you. If that’s your idea of a warm and fuzzy greeting, happy shopping and try watch your step as you glance in every mirror to check yourself out.

I am angry at Guess. Bebe. Arden B. BCBG. Express. True Religion. The stores that occupy most malls that fail to offer any options for the size 14 average American women.

Aside from some fashion savvy plus-size women, no one is angry with Gucci or are they penning angry letters to Dolce and Gabbana. We simply walked past their stores on the way to Lane Bryant or to search the paltry offerings in the back corner of department stores with vague names like “Contemporary Woman” or “American Woman.” Poor attempts to rebrand “plus size”.

“Those companies that are in trouble are trying to target everybody: young, old, fat, skinny. But then you become totally vanilla. You don’t alienate anybody, but you don’t excite anybody, either,” said Jeffries oblivious to the irony of naming flavors while alienating fat people.

Every store gears itself toward a certain demographic hoping it will be profitable. It is a free market, they do not have to cater toward everyone.

I understand I am not Abercrombie’s target buyer. I wear Spanx. My trunk is filled with junk and my cup is the equivalent of a failing grade.

American Eagle and Aeropostale, Abercrombie’s direct competitors do offer extended sizes. Online only. A bit of a backhanded, “Sure you can wear our clothes. Just buy them in the privacy of your own home.” Do they think they are going to have to cut wider entrances if they offer the items in store? Are they expecting cattle?

These exclusionary branding practices have been in effect even before Jeffries 2006 statements. Plus size customers do not need a model at the door to remind them they are steerage passengers on the fashion ship.

Katie Bambi Kohler is humor writer who resides in King of Prussia. Visit her blog at www.cheesesteakprincess.blogspot.com. Follow her on Twitter @chzstkprincess.